60 Minutes with Lara Croft and the Survivors of the HMS Endurance
by BigMammaLlama5
Summary: This is Scott Pelley with 60 Minutes, tonight. The return trip to Yamatai was almost more than they could handle. But with the proper team, anything can be conquered. (I'm challenging myself here to write an interview-styled story that "features video and present time", so I hope it isn't terribly confusing.) Lara/Samantha pairing, action, adventure, romance, & a history lesson.
1. Prologue

**Author's note, feel free to skip and come back to!**

Guys I'm REALLY on a ROLL. How exciting! As I said before, I'm planning on staying though the "Coconut Rum" universe (or CRU for abbreviation purposes) for the rest of my Tomb Raider writings, pulling from other Tomb Raiders games as I see fit. I have a feeling it'll all be in shambles when the next Tomb Raider installment is released, but I'll just switch tracks I suppose. So if you're just now finding this, I suggest you go back and read the other ones so you don't lose the little bits of information!

This is my first venture into a multi-chapter story in about six years, so bear with me. I'll try to stay on a two-week update schedule.

Also, special shout out to my super awesome Beta reader, Katie, for helping me make sure this was enough of a start on a long journey.

**Takes place after 2013 Tomb Raider Reboot, characters WILL be slightly OOC and I have taken some liberties with their backgrounds. The most notable fact being that I chose to have Lara and Sam attend Cambridge instead of UCL.**

**Rated M for reference to violence. Not much in this chapter but there will be lots of EVERYTHING in later chapters.**

**And I made a point NOT to push for reviews in my previous posts, but I really do appreciate that you guys read my writing. I would love to hear from you and hear your opinions! Or just to talk and say hi or ask a question, I really do appreciate you guys! :)**

**I also promise that there will only be disclaimers and warnings with VERY brief author's notes in the following chapters. I know how obnoxious long and constant author's notes can be.**

**I OWN NOTHING I'M A POOR ART SCHOOL GRADUATE. So don't sue me Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix… BUT THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO US ABOUT THE TEE SHIRTS!11 My Tomb Raider logo shirt and HMS Endurance jersey shirt are my two new favorite shirts and I wear them all the time. * obligatory keyboard smashkldgalskhglhaksfglaksfgalk ***

***Short edit, I lost my line breaks when I posted this last night and didn't check it. My bad, guys.***

* * *

60 Minutes, with Lara Croft and the Survivors of the _H.M.S. Endurance_

Prologue

"_I'm Steve Kroft."_

"_I'm Lesley Stahl."_

"_I'm Bob Simon."_

"_I'm Morely Safer."_

"_I'm Lara Logan."_

"_I'm Scott Pelley. Those stories and more, tonight on this special two-hour episode of 60 minutes."_

* * *

"_Two and a half years ago, the H.M.S. Endurance disappeared into the Dragon's Triangle in the North Western Pacific ocean South of Tokyo. The archaeological team was on an assignment to find the supposed lost island of Yamatai, an ancient and cursed place rumored to be located in the Dragon's Triangle, the Pacific equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle. Despite many Asian historians claiming Yamatai-koku to be possibly located in Northern Kyushu, Yamato Province or even Sakurai, Nara; amazingly, it was discovered off the South Eastern coastline of the Japanese isle, Skikoku, and North West of the archipelago of the Bonin Islands._

_After receiving several distress calls from the Endurance, rescue teams were unable to locate the ship until a Japanese freighter picked up a small group of survivors nearly two weeks after they vanished. Tonight we have a special program with those four survivors. Lara Croft, Samantha Nishimura, Joslin Reyes, and Jonah Maiava. They have recently returned from their second expedition to the island of Yamatai, and were gracious enough to share their thoughts and experiences with us._

_We do warn our viewers that some of the video clips and photographs shown are graphic, though we have uploaded full resources to our website, 60 Minutes Overtime."_

"_Across from me, I have Miss Lara Croft. Welcome Lara, thank you for coming in today." The camera switches to a young woman in a simple black dress and cardigan combination, her chocolate hair swept up off her tanned face._

"_The pleasure is mine, Mr. Pelley."_

"_You all must have had quite an ordeal on that island. I want to thank you for making the time to come speak with us as well as use some of the video Miss Nishimura shot."_

"_We're glad we could share it with you, there's just so much to tell. Both good AND bad. But… It's hard to describe."_

"_I can't even begin to imagine. Now, let's find out a little about you, Miss Croft. You had just graduated from the University of Cambridge in the spring of 2013 under the Division of Archaeology. We heard that you were continuing your studies in online classes…?"_

"_In a sense, yes. I started my MPhil courses a few months before we returned to Yamatai and continued to take them over a probationary period while I was there. Now that I've been back for almost six months, I've moved back to Cambridge to attend the courses."_

"_You enjoy your schooling. Do you wish to teach?"_

"_Perhaps someday, but for now I rather enjoy being in the field. It's quite rewarding. But… I am helping with the M.A.R., or the Materiality, Art, and Religion, research cluster to better understand the different civilizations that are represented on Yamatai. Luckily we're working with the Department of Archaeology associated with Tokyo University. They've been a great help with all of the East Asian artifacts that we were able to rescue."_

"_And what made you want to pursue a career in Archaeology?"_

"_My father, Lord Richard Croft. He was a well-known but sometimes ridiculed Archaeologist because of his beliefs in the supernatural ties to our history."_

"_Did you ever think that you would follow in his footsteps?"_

"_I knew I wanted to be a great Archaeologist like him, but I never thought I'd follow him so closely."_

"_I see. So! Tell me about these artifacts. When I visited your camp a year ago I was able to look at some of the artifacts that you had gathered… but they were from so many different cultures!"_

"_We're still cataloging everything and placing it into its correct category. It's amazing, really… There were the obvious time periods of both of the World Wars with Marines dog tags from the first war and Japanese tags from the second, Muromachi Period when Japanese Noh was popularized, the Edo Period in the 1700s, the Meiji Era that was in the 1800s, American toys from the 1980's, Jade artifacts from the Yuan Dynasty, Chinese artifacts from as far back as 4420 BCE… There's so much there. It's incredible to think how many people fell to the same fate as we nearly did."_

"_Wow, I didn't realize how much there truly was. I'm very excited to be interviewing you as well as Miss Nishimura, Miss Reyes, and Mr Maiava."_

"_The feeling is mutual."_

* * *

"_Welcome back, every one. If you're just now joining us, we briefly met with Miss Croft for a few moments." The camera pans to all four survivors. Lara in her black dress and cardigan, Samantha in a white v-neck dress that showed off her legs, Reyes in a slate gray pencil skirt and red blouse, and Jonah in a button up and slacks. "And now we have everyone here to share their experiences with us. So we've met Lara, but let's move on down the line. Miss Nishimura, tell us a little about yourself."_

"_Well, I guess I'll start with the basics." She laughs lightly. "Samantha Nishimura, Professional Documentary Filmmaker with a particular concentration in Translation and TV Management. I'm currently working on a Master's in Production. My father is Hiiro Nishimura, the Head Chairman of S-JAPAN TV CORP, and main provider of all of our equipment and related funds. My mother is a retired fashion model who now works as a consultant in the industry in Japan to be closer to my father. We'll just touch on the fact that I gave them too much grief growing up. I was a bit of a wild child." She laughs again._

"_You still ARE." Lara exclaims good naturedly, receiving a playful shove in the shoulder from Sam and accompanying soft laughter from everyone else._

"_You mentioned to me earlier that you and Lara had been friends for a very long time. When did you meet her?"_

"_Oh my gosh… Well, when did I transfer to Gordonstoun? 2006? '07? It's been a LONG time."_

"_Nearly a decade!"_

"_Yep! Just about."_

"_Well great, thank you for sharing with us. Now, uh, Miss Reyes. Could we continue on with you?"_

"_I don't see why not. Well… My name is Joslin Reyes and I was the Head Mechanic on the H.M.S. Endurance. Born and raised in Queens and I was an Officer in the NYPD for a few years before… complications arose. So I re-trained and started working for garages around the city. Having my baby girl, Alecia, was probably the best thing that ever happened to me."_

"_Were you always interested in machinery?"_

"_Yeah… Yeah I was. I would always go talk to the mechanics in the NYPD garage and they would let me pop the hoods on the out of commission patrol cars to learn a few things."_

"_It must have been quite a leap from cars to hug boats."_

"_Well, it wasn't too bad. I learned quickly and worked hard."_

"_Your hard work certainly paid off though! Very good. Thank you Miss Reyes. Now last but not least, Mr. Maiava. I was told that you're a great cook."_

"_I try my best. It's something that I love to do and it always challenges me."_

"_I remember you told me you were the cook on the Endurance. How did you get up to that point?"_

"_I was picking up some seafood to take back to my Sister's café in Ngapuhi, New Zealand, and there were only four crates. I didn't want to make multiple trips so I just decided to carry them all. Conrad Roth saw me and asked me to work for him. Though to start from the very beginning, I was born in Ngapuhi but raised in Honolulu by my grandmother. Because of her teachings, I am a very spiritual man and that keeps me grounded. Years ago, I served in the New Zealand Army and did very well. Unfortunately I was hurt and honorably discharged. From there I moved back home to cook for my sister."_

"_How spiritual would you say you are? Or what kind? If I may ask…?"_

"_I…" He paused and glanced in the direction of his fellow survivors. "I wouldn't describe it as a sixth sense… But I get… warning feelings. When things aren't right. It helped me immensely with my Unit and even more so on Yamatai. I just wish I had known what was coming… I could have warned everyone."_

"_Hey, it isn't your fault Jonah. Out of all of us, it should still be me." A troubled Lara spoke up softly._

"_Little Bird, you knew just as much as I did and it wasn't much. Neither one of us is to blame."_

"_I know… but still." She grins ruefully, accepting Sam's outstretched hand and lacing their fingers._

"_Huh-uh, stop thinking that or I'll smack you." Sam pipes up._

"_Yeah, you try to hit her this time. I'm never gonna do that again…" Reyes jokes._

"_Jooooos…" Lara groans, trying not to laugh._

"_C'mon now, Mama. Give Lara a break." Sam smiles and nudges Reyes with her free hand, not letting go of Lara's left._

"_I know, I know. Sorry, Mr. Pelley. Where were we?" The older woman shifts in her canvas director-styled chair._

"_Quite alright, you're actually keeping us about on track. I was hoping that we could actually dive into your return trip? And to try and share what actually happened to you all on Yamatai."_

"_Sure thing." Joslin nodded._

"_How did you come across Yamatai?"_

"_Honestly? Lara saw the storms and said that was the way to go. And Roth backed her up since he was the expedition leader and Whitman wanted to stay in known waters." Joslin continued a little brashly._

"_I chose that way because the storms had always deterred other vessels. I just wanted to check… I had no idea that I was sending nearly a hundred people to their deaths…"_

"_But it sounds like you were sailing blind into that part of the ocean. There was no way you could know."_

"_Mr Pelley… The signs all pointed there, but I still should have stayed away… But I fear we would have still ended up on Yamatai."_

"_So the storm just came out of nowhere?"_

"_No, we could see it off in the distance." Jonah piped up. "They were some of the tallest thunder heads I had ever seen. I knew something wasn't right when I saw them… But I was just the cook." He grinned ruefully._

"_But it happened pretty late at night… Near midnight. I was in Sam and I's bunk checking my email when we were hit head-on." She looked at her fellow survivors._

"_I was down near the engine room with some of the crew, watching to make sure our electrical problems in the fuses didn't act up." Joslin spoke up._

"_There were a few of the guys playing poker in the kitchen and I was planning to joining them after I finished cleaning up."_

"_And I was hanging out with some of the camera and research crews in the recreation area. The ship just pitched to one side and threw us all across the room. Alarms went off, the main power was knocked out… I could hear and feel the hull straining and tearing through the floor. It was frightening…" Samantha trailed off uneasily, a haunted look creeping into her eyes._

"_How did you all manage to get to shore?"_

"_The Kitchen was just a few decks above Engineering, so the guys and I helped get the Mechanics and other crew out from below and up onto the deck and into life boats. It was very difficult. Water was rushing in everywhere and the alarm was deafening. I swear I still can't hear right out of my left ear. The doctors say it's just my mind, but it was so loud that I just don't know."_

"_I only had enough time to grab the picture of my daughter, Alecia, before Francis practically fell down the stairs to make sure we were on our way out. By the time we got to the rafts, the ship was already splitting into two. The only thing we could do was pray that we survived."_

"_The funniest thought crossed my mind in the midst of all that, and it was that we were essentially placing our trust and lives into flat rubber duckies. I had rope burns on my palms for weeks, if only I had known those weren't going to be the only ones I got. I remember trying to look for Lara, but Steph forced me into the life raft… But then she was swept over by a wave and I never saw her again…"_

"…_I found her." Lara ventured carefully, her eyes darting from Pelley to Sam (who knew exactly where Lara had found her) to the camera then back to Sam._

"_You did? Where was she?" Pelley asked. Lara just shook her head and refused to say._

"_I see… But Lara, how did you get off the Endurance?" Pelley glossed over the grisly truth the Survivors were avoiding._

"_I almost didn't… When the ship first yawed I fell out of bed and hit my head on the cabinets on the other side of the bed… I hit it hard enough to become disoriented. But, then as soon as I left the room…? There was so much water… I was able to find a hatch to the next level, but I couldn't open it. I remember screaming for help and the water closing in over my head, but then Roth pulled me up and out. I caught my breath and saw him calling me from the front half of the Endurance… it has already split in two and was quickly sinking. I ran, and I jumped, and I caught his hand, but I slipped through and I fell. I hit the water so hard it knocked the breath out of me again. It was a miracle I made it to shore in one piece. There was so much debris and rocks, I was so sure I was going to be smashed against them. I could see some of the crew and older bodies already had…"_

"_That sounds absolutely horrifying… If you all don't mind me asking, have you looked for professional help to deal with that?"_

"_Oh we have. It may have taken us a while and a few broken noses, but we got our head out of our asses." Joslin joked and Lara grimaced again. "But we're all dealing with what happened to us fairly well. It could always be worse."_

"_Well said, Miss Reyes. Alright, when we come back, the shore landing onto Yamatai."_


	2. Chapter 1: Landfall

**Rated M for violence and some gore.**

**Disclaimer, blah blah blee bloo blah.**

**Shoutouts to just about everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed this story. You guys are awesome. Please continue to let me know your thoughts!**

**Special thanks to my beta Katie for duct taping my hands to my laptop so I'd quit playing Mine Craft on my 360, my writing buddy TrulyUndecided for encouraging me to first play Mine Craft and then write (go check her story out!), and the lovely ClaireIsInLightning for the very first review of this story.**

**Small personal note, I will be picking up my very first baby (puppy) this Saturday and her name is… Samantha. Sam or Sammy for short. Yep. I feel like I need a cat named Lara now.**

****I sincerely apologize if any of my Military jargon is incorrect. I'm not in any serving branch and only have one friend who is (whom I don't get to see very often). I was a state employed bus driver for my university once upon a time, so I DO know proper radio etiquette at the very least. If there is something glaringly wrong (including spelling/grammar), please notify me and I will do my best to correct it.****

Chapter One: Landfall

"_Welcome back to 60 minutes. For the rest of this program we will be following our four survivors' stories as they journey back through the island of Yamatai. Some of the following footage and pictures may be too graphic for some viewers."_

* * *

_ A video starts. The screen shows a haunting view of overgrown mountains, world war two era bunkers embedded into rocky cliff sides, the bow wreckage of the huge red and white skeleton of the Endurance peeks through on the far left, steel grey frothy waters beat against pale sand stained with oil. A rotting wooden pirate ship peeked out from behind the steel corpse. Strong winds blows harshly into the microphone and the view pans to the right settling on a lone form of Lara Croft. She's dressed in her worn boots, well-fitted heavy canvas cargo pants and duel holsters already strapped to her thighs-sans Dessert Eagles. A thick brown leather jacket is zipped up to ward out the biting wind and a black beanie is pulled down low over her ears and brow. Her hair is braided tightly down her back and the loose chocolate brown locks of her bangs whip in the wind. In her hands is the old, red climbing axe, repaired and cleaned with a new grip. She unconsciously twirls it in her gloved hands as she stares out at the place of her nightmares, her face pale and smooth of emotions._

"_Lara." Calls the voice behind the hand held camera. It's Samantha._

_ She turns and looks directly into the lens, her hazel eyes eerily flat and unseeing. The axe stills in her hands and she remains silent._

"_Sweetie, are you okay?" The wind gusts and Lara blinks owlishly._

_ Her only answer is a short shake of her head before she turns back to face Yamatai. Her chest expands with a deep breath, and then collapses in a quick and forceful exhale. The axe starts twirling again. A few long and uneasy seconds draw out before the video ends._

* * *

"_Lara. What was it like to see that place again?" Pelly asked._

"_It was… Not a place I ever wanted to see again. But there was so much there… I couldn't bear to leave all of that history behind. I needed to see it and take it in. To steel myself. Stepping back onto that beach has been one of the hardest things I've ever had to do."_

"_We had been looking for her for nearly half an hour when one of the crew told us she was 'zombified on the deck'. I always tried to take my handheld with me so I could capture the candid moments…" Sam laced her fingers around her crossed knees._

"_Not one of the most uplifting candid moments." He filled in._

"_Oh no, certainly not. And not the last one either. All of us had a lot of those moments. We very rarely had a happy moment on that island."_

"_How difficult was it to get back to shore?"_

_Jonah spoke up next when Lara stayed silent, her face becoming more and more haunted by the moment. Sam reached out and took her hand again._

"_It wasn't nearly as bad as we thought. Where we anchored was one of the few places with minimal wreckage. The first couple days we were there our only task was to make sure we had safe travel to and from the U.S.S. Dauntless. I think it was the morning of the fourth day when all of the safety buoys installed."_

"_Who went ashore in the landing party?"_

_Lara shook herself out of her daze. "I did, with half of our security force…"_

* * *

_ Another video starts. This time it showed the gunmetal decking of an LCU boat plowing through the surf, Lara's left boot on the right side of the screen next to Samantha's new sturdy boots. The sun shone in an even grey through overcast clouds, barely casting any shadow. The roar of the engine drowns out the deep voices of the professional security enforcers shouting to be heard by one another. The camera pans up and makes a slow panorama from the left over. A few of the men, both young and closer to middle aged, either notice and grin toothily at the camera or nod in a distracted greeting while Sam's voice struggles to introduce them._

"_Here are a few-lovely men who will keep-safe. Nathan, Adam, Luke, Kayden, Landon, and Benjamin."_

_ To the right across from Samantha sits Jonah and rough-looking man with close-cropped salt and pepper hair and matching full beard, checking out an AR-15._

"_Benjamin has taken Jonah under his wing. Military men." She sighs wryly._

_ The camera pans all the way to the right and lands on a stony-faced Lara staring off blankly through the floor of the boat, the axe once again spinning in her hands. Today she's lacking her black beanie and her hair is damp and stuck to her pale face. A tactical radio headset peeked out from under her collar where it was strapped around her neck, the small microphone pressed into her cheek. Over her leather jacket is a heavy Kevlar vest. She tenses and sits up straight when the motors slow, all other conversations falling quiet as the men gather their rifles or shotguns and don the rest of their protective gear. A few long moments of the pulsing motor powering down seem to drag on for forever until finally the LCU boat reverses to hold it's position. Lara stands quickly and hooks the axe on her belt right behind her holstered pistol. She reaches out of the camera shot and hoists up her own semi-assault rifle, threading the mesh strap around her torso and checking the magazine in mechanical movements. One of the younger men, Kayden, calls out to her, his white teeth flashing brightly against his ebony skin._

"_Sure you can handle that, little lady?"_

_ Her only response is to rack the slide and chamber the first bullet before pointing out certain points on the beach._

"_I want to take these points there first." She point to the old boat launching dock and the surrounding buildings that the group had previously camped in. "If we clear out those buildings and reinforce them, they should work for a base of operations." She turned her still-blank face to Kayden. "You don't want to know how much I can handle, thanks to this place."_

_ He holds up his hands in acquiescence before heaving his tall frame to his full height, readying his rifle._

"_Any questions?" She calls._

_ Heads shake and silence follows. Then suddenly she was completely facing the camera. Her stone mask broke and worry clouded her features, she stepped forward just as Samantha lowered the camera to her knees. Lara's thighs and the muzzle of the AR-15 were the only visible things in the frame._

"_Promise me that you and Jonah will stay on this boat until we give you the all-clear. Do you understand?" Her voice strained and low, barely picked up by the camera._

"_Yeah. We'll be here. Just be careful… okay? I know you have those big guys with you…"_

"_I know. I… I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."_

"_Yeah, about that."_

"_I'm not going any further than just a few meters past the buildings. Maybe to the top of the beach. It shouldn't take us more than an hour."_

"_Promise?"_

" _I promise."_

_The camera cuts off._

* * *

As soon as Lara picked out the electric _beep_ that Sam had stopped recording, she grasped the pistol grip with her right hand and held the gun to her stomach. Her left hand came up and cradled the back of Samantha's neck and she leaned down into an awkward embrace with the firearm between them. The camera sat abandoned in Sam's lap as she wrapped her arms around Lara's shoulders and neck, pressing the sides of their face together.

"You come back now, or we're going in after you."

"You'll stay here."

"No I won't. Don't even try to tell me that."

"Damn it Sam… I can never win can I?"

"Was that a joke I heard?"

"You could call it that."

A weak chuckle escaped Sam's chest as she lets go of Lara very reluctantly. They look at each other a moment longer, drinking in the other's faces. Finally, Lara sighs heavily and turns to Jonah standing off to the side with one of the boat crew.

"Please keep her safe. Take care of her in case something happens."

"I will, Little Bird. But you'll be back." He hugs her and she almost disappears in his fluffy down coat.

A moment longer and then she was striding towards the bow of the boat where the other men were gathering. The camera began to record again and Sam couldn't help but notice how small she looked compared to the tall burly men surrounding her. An unwelcome panic roiled in her belly when the gears of the ramp started up and began to lower the door into the frothy salt water. Rifles were brought to point and boots hit the surf in seven splashes. The dark forms waded to shore in a staggered line before double timing to the cliff side, skirting the craters from exploded anti-submarine mines. The ramp raises back up and the boat glides away to idle out in deeper water, its passengers watching with worried and grim faces.

Back on the beach, Lara's pulse pounds wildly in her throat as the familiar sights and smells overwhelm her senses. She presses her back flat to the cliff and inhales deeply through her nose, forcing herself to calm down. The men wait on either side of her patiently, Benjamin with an expression that showed he understood how she felt all too well. The youngest of the group of men who was next to Lara's right elbow, Nathan, quietly spoke up in his soft brogue to ease the tension.

"So Lara, who exactly do we need to be on the look out for again?"

"Any man that points a gun at you, either Russian or American or Eastern European. And wolves. Really big _fucking_ wolves."

"_How_ big?"

"They could easily bite your head off."

"_Shit…_" He grips his rifle tighter, his green eyes growing wide.

"They usually run with their trainers. So if you see one, expect the other to be close by." She takes one last deep breath, steeling her horribly frayed nerves.

"Let's go."

As one body, the small force skirts around the bottom of the stone and sand Cliffside. Lara spotted the dirty concrete and corner of the blue tarp above her and scrambled up the closest embankment. She could hear the quiet breathing of the men behind her and she had to tell herself over and over that they were working with her… _not_ trying to kill her. Lara scuttled in a crouch over to the side of the run-down 1940's era building, bringing the rifle up to her shoulder and scanning the empty beach and hillsides for movement. Without further instruction, the remainder of her squad poured into the old campsite, sweeping every corner with quiet calls of "clear" every other minute through their headsets. Benjamin squatted next to Lara and mapped the view out.

"You been ta this particular place?"

"Yes, this is where we found the PT boat that got us off the island."

"Some major work'll have ta be done ta these structures. Ain't safe."

"I know. We have construction supplies in the hold and more on the way next week."

"Good. Can't have a shitty ass base." She huffed a form of laugh.

One by one, the men returned and waited for instruction. With the help of Benjamin, Lara planed the remaining search of the beach. They worked out in a radial pattern, using the fire pit as a starting area. Lara walked as quietly as she could, her feet barely sinking into the coarse sand. After a short pause and scan of the looming hills through her scope, she moved on, aware of her team fanning out to her right and left. Relief coursed through her veins when she reached the next outcropping. Nathan jogged up to her from her left.

"Do we keep going?"

"Well… Yes. Yes, let's try and clear all the way up to the tree line. I'll go climb as high as I can over to the right to try and cover you all from above."

"How bout I go up there with ya? Two sets of eyes are better than one."

"Ah… sure. You have your climbing axe with you?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Alright." Lara depressed the radio receiver around her neck. "Copy team, Nathan and I are going to become your eagle eyes, continue searching to the tree line."

Five consecutive clicks through her earpiece registered their acknowledgment and then they were off on the move again. A brief feeling of gratitude for training with the security squad for a few months warmed Lara and gave her the strength to keep going. Salty damp wind whipped her hair out of her face as she sprinted to the pillar of earth and stone to her right, the rifle nearly weightless in her hands. Nathan followed closely behind her, staggered off to the left, putting himself between the young archaeologist and the forest. Lara blocked out his breathing and focused on the wall of rock and dirt quickly looming above her. Ten meters from the wall, she slung her rifle onto her back and drew her red climbing axe in one smooth motion. A small cry escaped her clenched teeth with the great effort of propelling herself forward and up at top speed. Her body hung in space for a few long seconds before crashing into the wall, her axe ringing loudly as it bit into the stone.

She looked down when she heard Nathan start to climb, but was surprised at how high she had jumped. It was almost inhuman, and she could see the impressed glint in the young man's eye. Quickly shaking that thought, she began to rapidly scale the mound of rock, staying on the face that looked toward the steel grey sea. Knowing how to look for the best hand and foot holds was like riding a bike. Lara climbed at a relentless pace, determined to get to the top as quickly as she could. She didn't realize she had left Nathan in the dust until she hauled herself up onto the uneven top. She acted like she was going to wait for him but he waved her on.

Lara scoped out the land quickly for movement while she wriggled forward on her belly. She reached into her pouch on the outside of the holster on her left thigh and drew out a long black silencer. The device was deftly screwed onto her muzzle before reaching into another pouch on the back of her hip. Next a large scope was slid into place on the body of the rifle with a satisfying click. Lara propped her elbows on the hard-packed dirt and peered through the glass eyepiece just as Nathan reached her. She located the rest of her team far below her and sent two small bursts of static through her headset to let them know she was in position. 30 seconds later Nathan did the same and propped himself up on his elbows about two feet to her left. Silence fell over them in a heavy blanket with only the sound of the rough sea, the distant hum of the idling LCU, and the intermittent _"clear"_ through their radios from the rest of their team far below.

"Scan the tree line. Just make sure to keep them clear." She muttered needlessly, just to ease her nerves.

Nathan nodded his black-beanie covered head and shifted his sight to the far left and began to sweep. The small groups on the ground zigzagged across the sand and soil in the efficient manor that the Special Forces branch of many militaries cultivates. On her fourth sweep back to the center path leading down from the mountains a flash of movement caught Lara's eye. She quickly depressed the receiver on her neck, adrenaline pumping through her veins at an alarming pace.

"Copy team, movement spotted. Mountain path, 280 degrees."

The men below scrambled for cover and Nathan brought his rifle to bear, focusing in on the tree line. Lara held her breath and released it shakily when a pair of rough men appeared through the foliage. The sound of her rapidly beating heart thundered in her ears. She depressed her mike.

"Copy team. Two hostiles at 280 degrees. Wait on my signal." She rasped out.

"How do you want to do this, Lara?" Whispered Nathan.

"You take the one on the left."

"On my count."

Lara's grip was like iron on her weapon. Nathan noticed and took a deep breath, which helped her remember to breath and relax a tad. The men strode into the light and reflected harshly off their abused firearms. They were heavily clothed in old fatigues and coats to ward off the cold wind. The one on the right stopped and pointed to the _U.S.S. Dauntless_ moored out in the sea. The other began to reach for his radio.

"_Now."_

Nathan's rifle coughed quietly and the man reaching for his radio collapsed as if he was a marionette and his strings had been cut. The man on the right looked down at his partner in shock before Lara's rifle coughed and he tumbled down next to his "brother". They waited with bated breath for any other men or wolves to appear, the force from the shot still echoing through Lara's bones.

They waited a minute.

Then two.

After three, Lara gave the all clear and the men slowly began to creep forward. The familiar icy feral feeling began to squirm in her chest and she had to tightly squeeze her left hand on the underside of the barrel to feel the cut of the silver ring on her thumb that Sam had given her on their one-year anniversary. The physical reminder helped center her spiraling attention span. She inhaled deeply through her nose, the metallic tang of gun oil burned with the chill salty wind. For the remainder of search there were no more disruptions. The dark forms of the very tall Kayden and short but stocky Landon approached the prone forms of the two men that had been shot down. Benjamin radioed in, following his two subordinates.

"I'm takin' these bodies back. Maybe we can identify 'em." Lara clicked her radio in acknowledgment and began to break down her rifle to its original form.

"This place gives me the skeeves…"

"Just wait till we get to the Ziggurat. I jumped into an enormous puddle of human remains and blood…"

"Fuck no, you didn't."

She only gave him a rueful look.

"Fuck… you did…"

Lara shook her head slightly and replaced her silencer and scope back into their respectful pouches. "Come on, I'm sure the _Dauntless_ is waiting to hear back from us."

The young man gaped at her for a moment while she wriggled backwards on her belly to the edge they had crawled up from. Lara descended at a much more sedate pace, the adrenaline having begun to wear off from the shock of seeing the two Solarii men. The metallic clanging of their axes and the scrapes of their heavy boots mixed with labored breathing and the dull rumble of the surf. When Lara dropped down to the sand below she landed on her knees next to Benjamin.

"That were some fine shootin', little lady. Better than this bastard." He clapped Nathan on the shoulder right as he landed heavily on his feet next to them.

"I've been practicing." A thin smile quirked the corners of her full lips that were turning blue from the chill.

"Aye, I can see that. Now let's head back ta those buildin's. Radio the LCU."

"Good idea. I know they're probably worried."

Kayden and Landon appeared in her line of vision each carrying one of the corpses, Luke kicking the sand and soil to cover up the bloody brain matter leaking from the half-exploded craniums. Lara's eyes glazed over and dulled as she looked at the bright crimson sludge dripping onto the gray earth. Hopelessness began to spiral deep in her belly as she forced her leaden feet to move back towards the soon-to-be base. Lara hung her axe on her belt and slung her rifle back down into the cradle of her arms. It felt like she was trying to carry an anvil, and pressed her thumb hard into the weapon to feel the band of silver. She trudged on mechanically, making sure to be slightly ahead of the bodies. She felt Nathan by her side and heard Benjamin drop back to instruct his two subordinates on where to store the bodies. She tuned out their rumbling voices and picked up her pace, eager to radio the LCU and the _Dauntless_.

"Here ya go."

Lara started when Nathan thrust his hand into her vision, the chunky two-way radio clutched in his large gloved hand. She paused and thanked him before gingerly taking it from him with her left hand, her right still on the pistol grip of her AR-15. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat, determined not to sound shaken up over the radio. Lara pressed her thumb firmly on the transmitter button and came to a halt at the blue tarp tent.

"Copy LCU-oh-six-charlie, this is ground team."

Static. No response. Lara looked over at a calm Nathan and tried again.

"Copy LCU-oh-six-charlie, this is ground team. Do you read me?"

"Ten-four, ground team. Enroute, please stand by." Lara sighed in relief and handed the two way back to Nathan, who quickly radioed their coordinates.

"Well I suppose there's some interference from the massive amount of metal wreckage around us."

"I would assume that was the reason… This place really did fuck you up, din't it?"

"Yeah… You could say that." She mumbled, her eyes catching the glint of the small transportation craft nearing the shore.

* * *

_ The camera starts recording again, this time just as the ramp lowered down into the icy water. The view jounced forward as Sam took a step down into the sea. Her hiss of discomfort was picked up by the microphone but was quickly drowned out by the sloshing of her and Jonah's boots. Their walking was sluggish as they slogged through loose sand and ankle-deep water. Jonah commented that the place still gave him an uneasy feeling, though not nearly as strong as it was the first time they had been there. The screen leveled out as they made it onto the beach, and the camera panned from left to right before stopping on the blue tarp above them._

"_I think they're up there."_

"_Alright, let's go."_

_ The next few moments were of the beach being filmed, the wreckage, the looming mountains, Jonah as he strode powerfully up the hill, Sam's boots, and then it turned completely to face its holder._

"_So I just saw Lara up by the buildings… She doesn't look good. Like she's really shaken up. I mean, I don't blame her or anything but… I'll have to be careful about what I say."_

_ The camera spins back around and follows the final curve of the path up to the dilapidated buildings. Just as the entire site came into view Kayden and Landon disappeared behind the far building, carrying limp forms across their broad shoulders. Luke followed closely behind, scuffing both of his heavy boots on the hard packed dirt. The camera focused in on an approaching Lara, but wasn't shut off quick enough to not record the dead expression plastered onto her pale face._

* * *

"_Judging by what we saw in that last clip, we can assume that these men that your security was carrying were deceased?" Came the tentative question._

"_Yes, we unfortunately had to take care of them or risk their word getting back before we had a solid chance at establishing a camp."_

"_What did you end up doing with them?"_

"_We documented them and cleaned their bodies before shipping them back to a morgue in Japan. There, we were able to identify one with dental records and one with his fingerprints. Then I personally contacted the families and made sure that the two men were returned home." Samantha spoke up._

"_And how exactly did those families react?" Pelly shifted in his canvas director's style chair._

"_They… weren't too happy with us, with how we sent them home. But they were still glad that they had been found. This situation was… extremely delicate. We ended up releasing a statement to the press the day we sent the bodies home, to try and warn other families."_

"_How many others did that apply to?"_

"_Not as many as you would think. Most surrendered to us but not until after we had been there for a little over five months."_

"_Do you think you could give us a number?" He pushed._

"_Well… we sent twenty-four home to be buried, and one-hundred and fifty-three though customs and Embassies. Many were mentally and physically ill, but they all wanted to go home."_

"_And I've heard that you all keep in regular touch with one of these men… Thomas? Was that his name?"_

"_Yes, but we'll talk about him a bit more later." Lara jumped back in._

"_Yes, I'm sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's talk about the base camp." Pelly acquiesced again, his face remaining passively cool._

"_Well it started out as an old mechanics and storage lab station for whatever decades-old operation. It was mostly solid concrete but we brought in iron I-beams to rebuild what had fallen, as well as two more floors for quarters." Jonah answered._

"_So most of the foundation was already there?" He clarified again._

"_Correct. We just had to strengthen and expand."_

"_And how long did that take to complete?" _

"_Just about two weeks. They archaeology team was raring to go but there was only so much beach they could comb over before going crazy. I can attest to that." Lara joked._

"_I was afraid you were about to start going into the ocean at one point. I almost went and rented you scuba gear." Sam poked her gently in the shoulder._

"_I kept finding those old doubloons! You can't just leave gold doubloons lying around in the sand!"_

"_You started singing 'Yo Ho a Pirate's Life for Me'."_

"_I was BORED." She sunk down in her chair in exasperation._

"_You were going crazy." A playful grin stretched ruby red lips._

"_Well maybe just a little… But anyways, it was a good two weeks before we actually started expanding out into the surrounding forests. And then another to get settled in. So maybe three weeks."_

"_Did you have any other encounters with the men on the island? During those first few weeks…"_

"_Not right away, actually. It was maybe a week and a half before there was a second confrontation. Which I; frankly, found to be extremely odd. But there was no point in running off after them into the brush and getting cut off from the beach. It was better and easier to play it safe and stay where we were."_

"_Alright. So… When you were settled in, where did you head first? That place isn't very big."_

"_No, you're right. Yamatai is actually quiet small. We decided to retrace our step from the start, which happened to begin where we made landfall that first week. After some searching, I… I was able to find the entrance to the cave where I was first held. And it wasn't pretty inside… But we were able to recover the… remains of Stephanie's body."_

"_Ah… Well there's always that little peace of mind." Pelly mused._

"_Yes… But only barely…"_


End file.
